Me or Them
by AliceOfMusic
Summary: Max- the popular, famous girl who changes her hairstyle every few weeks. Fang and Iggy- the cute boys that everyone in the Copy-Cat Clique is targeting and the best friends of Max. Max fights for their freedom from the claws of the CCC, but will her efforts be futile? Fang slowly falls head-over-heels for who? Iggy develops a slight crush on which girl? Better than sounds, I swear.
1. Fight Is On

**Me: Heya everyone! Well, I deleted _Danger_. I just didn't like it after I read it a few times. Here's to a new story!**

**Disclaimer: I no own what I no own.**

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Max POV

It's an art.

To be able to dye hair so much, that is. Countless times has my natural hair color been ignored and replaced with a unique, different, and new color.

It _is_ what I'm famous for.

So many different colors I've tried. All of them suited my skin color and my ethnicity- not to be racist, of course. Out of all the hundreds of kids at my school, I'd love to say I'm the most famous girl. I am, don't get me wrong, but there's always the close second.

Lissa Taylor.

She's well known for her flaming red head. I've tried red hair before, but I just didn't like it. The color of the red clashed violently against my skin tone. So I gave up on the red colors, no biggie. But she's _always _trying to show me up at school. Grades, looks, popularity, she's tried to top me in all of them.

It's never worked or happened before. But she is one _persistent_ girl.

Now, Lissa's not the only one who has tried to beat me in something- or everything. She has a clique of girls that follow her every move. The Copy-Cat Clique I call it, or CCC for short. Everyone has positions in the CCC. Lissa's the lead one. Her best friend- third-place, right-hand woman- is her second-in-command.

Brigid Dwyler. Beach blonde, blue eyes, the whole enchilada. Brigid is one of those short, cute girls that guys have the urge to protect. She's always following in Lissa's footsteps, like a baby chick and its mama. Brigid is forever going to be one of those sad wannabe girls, just like the rest of the CCC.

Left-hand woman, Maya Twillie, looks almost _exactly_ like me. When I look completely normal, of course. Maya is a brunette with hazel orbs, which is a lighter shade than my natural chocolate brown ones. She's a bit shorter than I am and tanner, too. Honestly, Maya's not bad. She's fun to hang out with, and she makes pretty okay jokes.

Clique member/follower one is Kate Tan Wei Ying. She's Asian, hence the last name, with long and silky black hair that stops mid-back. I would just kill for her hair, literally. Okay, not so literally but you get what I mean. Also, Kate's eyes are pretty much a never ending darkness. Kate has a nice figure and is insanely strong. She likes to show off her strength sometimes, but she can never beat me in a fight.

Clique member/follower two is Star Carlisle. She has dark brown hair that has a slight reddish tint and hazel doe eyes. Star is as skinny as she is fast. But since running is her favorite thing to do, and it takes up lots of calories, she stuffs herself at lunch. Two or three hamburgers, a slice of pizza, and a coke. Fascinating, really, since girls usually eat salad to watch their weight. Star and I are the complete opposite of that.

We both compete against each other in sports; you know, just to get hyped up and competitive. It's a good thing to do for athletes like us.

And who am I? I've been talking about myself and the CCC to no end, and you have no clue who I am. Well, I'm Maximum Ride, a girl who's in the 9th grade at the age of 14. My natural hair color is dirty blonde on light brown, and I have chocolate brown orbs.

I say I'm the most famous girl in school. I am, but you apparently don't know the reason as to why.

It's quite simple, really. It's my hair. It is currently adorned with the color blue. A bright and brilliant blue that makes me stand out of the crowd along with my grey orbs- the color definitely from color contacts. My blue locks fall down to my elbows, which makes it longer than Kate's.

Anyways, as I was saying, the Copy-Cat Clique. Their popularity position will always be behind mine. All the kids at school ranked me first. Too bad for Lissa and the rest of the CCC. Don't get me wrong, I love their company and all, but the competitiveness can get old.

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Competitions for boys, popularity, looks, and grades always take place among the CCC and I. And this time is no exception.

For the hearts of Nick "Fang" Caverly and James "Iggy" Divine.

My two best friends, who I just have to protect from the claws of the Copy-Cat Clique.

And I thought life couldn't get anymore interesting.

The fight is on.

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**What'd ya think? My new story is okay, ain't it?**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**

**And don't worry, I'm keeping _Devious Deceit_ up.**

**~AliceOfMusic**


	2. Hostile Orphan

**Me: Hi there. This is the second chapter of Messed Up.**

**To MYcookies- Me or Her was taken down by Fanfiction. And I deleted Danger 'cause there's really no point in having a sequel when the first story was deleted.**

**To Midnight-Rose4563- Thanks! I thought Max having blue hair would be weird too, but what the heck. Why not try something new?**

**To kEePtHeHeAt- Glad to have you back! Yeah, Me or Her was deleted. It got me so annoyed for a few days.**

**To the other reviewers- Thanks so much for taking time to review!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine in a lifetime.**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

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Max POV

"I'm only gonna warn you once. Lay off." The Copy-Cat Clique looked up at me, considering that I'm taller than them. We were in the school hallways, walking to lunch. All around us was a huge crowd of people that were watching me intently.

"Lay off? What?" Brigid wrinkled her nose. She's not the _smartest _girl in the world.

"Lay off the _boys_. Ya know, _Nick Caverly_ and _James Divine_?" Maya rolled her eyes.

"Oh them? They're cute!" Brigid smiled a bit.

"Yes, them. They're my best friends, so lay off," I said, my eyebrow twitching slightly.

"What if I say no?" Lissa challenged me. You don't just challenge me and get away with it.

"What if I break your little face?" I retorted.

"You don't scare us," Kate sneered.

"Listen, I have two speeds. Hostile or smart-aleck. Take your pick," I growled.

"How about _stupid_? Or _ugly_? Both of them seem to work out just fine for you," Lissa laughed. The rest of the CCC laughed with her at her stupid joke. Both of my fists clenched as I tried to control my temper. I saw Star and Maya eye my hands and back away a little, and their laughter ceased.

Those two were _afraid_.

They should be since I was about ready to pummel Lissa into the ground. I reached out, and my fists grabbed a boat load of red hair. I pulled backward, and Lissa's body jerked and slammed against the lockers. I raised my fist full of hair above her head while Lissa started to whine about the pain of having her hair pulled.

"Oh shut up. I warned you about this, and you chose to go with hostile," I snarled. Lissa's green eyes widened at the sight of my fist going toward her face.

"Max!" I sighed. I could recognize that voice from miles.

_Iggy_.

My fist stopped moving mid-way to Lissa's nose. I dropped my fist along with her hair. Lissa plopped to the ground and started to wail- about how scary I was, how I was gonna murder her, etc. etc.

"What Ig? You completely ruined my moment here. I was about to pummel Lissa's face in," I grumbled.

"Woah, woah. Chill, okay? Calm your violent tendencies," Iggy grinned. I sighed and took a deep breath.

"I'm calm. Now _why_ did you stop me?" I asked with a hint of irritation in my voice.

"I can't have you getting _another_ detention and suspension. My mom would kill me. I _am_ supposed to take care of you and make sure you stay _out_ of trouble," Iggy said.

Yes, Iggy said _his_ mom would kill him. I'm an orphan that was adopted by Mrs. Divine. She's basically my mother, especially after my mom died in a house fire while trying to save me. I was only six years old, and I kept crying for my mom. I became and insomniac, which isn't a good thing for a little kid.

Mrs. Divine had a son who was six also and wanted a daughter for Ig to play with. She couldn't give birth anymore so she went to the nearest orphanage. I was already up for adoption as soon as she got there. Iggy was running around, looking for his new perfect little sister, and he came across me. I was playing with a water gun outside with the other kids, but I wasn't having fun.

So Ig ran up to Mrs. Divine and kept on yelling "Her! Her!" whilst pointing at me. I was dragged to the office where I met the kind Mrs. Divine and the excited Iggy.

"Well, your mom already knows how much of a trouble-maker I am. I mean, she lets me dye my hair for crying out loud," I claimed.

"I know, but she doesn't want you to get detention _or_ get suspended for being violent _again_," Iggy mentioned. I hesitated to answer. Mrs. Divine was a really sweet mom, and I hated letting her down sometimes.

"Fine. You win," I sighed. Iggy grinned yet again and led me to the lunchroom with my hand in his. We were far away from the crowd, the CCC, and the whimpering Lissa.

I'm one hostile orphan.

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**'Kay! That's the chapter!**

**I'm gonna put up a poll for this story 'cause I wanna change the title. Suggest me some, and I'll put it up. Thanks!**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**


	3. 20 Questions

**Me: Hey y'all! I changed the title to Me or Them, which is kinda like Me or Her. **

**Shout out to kEePtHeHeAt for helping me out with the title picking! Thanks so much!**

**To RockerBabe414- No, I had no clue that Twillie sounded like 'twin' in German. Just a coincidence, I guess.**

**To MYcookies- Apparently, it was deleted because I had put complete lyrics from songs on there, even though I disclaimed them AND did that copyright thing.**

**To Skayuhm- lol, I'm Asian too! Twinzies XD**

**Disclaimer: Never in my lifetime will I own MR.**

**I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! **

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Max POV

In the background, I can hear a bunch of kids crowd around Lissa, and some were patting her back, rubbing her shoulders, etc. Some of them were telling her to suck it up and that all I did was pull her hair a little. No argument there since I completely agree. What I did was meager, not that bad- well, on a scale of things I _could _have done.

But soon enough, the crowd lessened and lessened until only the others in the CCC were left. Lissa stopped all her crying by now, considering it was fake tears. Brigid and Kate stayed with her during lunch; Maya and Star were snickering in the lunchroom when they grabbed their trays and walked by my table.

"Good going, Max. That's the funniest thing I've ever seen since Lissa puked after gym," Maya laughed.

"Seriously. That's probably the best! My stomach hurts so much," Star giggled.

"It was nothing, really," I modestly shrugged. These two coming over to my table to talk wasn't unusual. They actually do it a lot, believe it or not. But they only do it if they wanna talk about sports or if they want something.

And this time they wanted to talk to Iggy and Fang. I immediately knew when they glanced at the doors and the empty seats beside me as they sat down across from me. It was so obvious. The CCC's table was on the other side of the cafeteria. Of course they wanted to talk to my boys.

"So where's Fang?" Maya suddenly popped the question outta nowhere.

"Yeah, and Iggy?" Star added to Maya's question with her own. See? I told ya they wanted to talk to them. I just know these things.

"I think they're-"

"Max!"

"They're here," I replied. I didn't bother to turn to the voice's direction since I already knew it was Iggy. I can recognize his and Fang's voice anywhere.

"Did Maxie Waxie make new friends?" Iggy spoke to me as if talking to a little kid.

"Yes, and you're about to lose one very important _member_," I glanced down then looked back up. Iggy's eyes widened as his hands hesitated around his groin area.

"Oh, um, no thanks," Iggy was stuttering now.

"Man, it's hard to find you in the crowd. If I didn't know better, I'd be lost," Fang muttered while he sat in the seat beside me.

"It's not hard to find _you_, Max. He was a-talking about me," Iggy joked. I rolled my eyes. I _know_ that.

"Well, it can't be hard to find a girl with bright blue hair unless you were stupid or blind." I looked back to Maya and Star who were trying to look cute; you could practically see the hearts in their eyes while they were smiling. Iggy plopped down into the seat on the other side of me.

"Hello, ladies," Iggy said 'smoothly'. Maya and Star giggled and waved a hello. Iggy had a cocky grin that matched his ego. Just kidding. He didn't have an ego, just the grin.

"So, Fang, do you have, like, a girlfriend?" Maya started flirting. If Fang looked shocked, he sure didn't show it; he just simply nodded.

"You _do_? I never knew! Who is it?" Maya babbled, her voice laced with interest.

Fang turned his head to the left and nodded in a direction. "Her." I was surprised; no, wait, that's an understatement. I was completely shocked. Fang was facing me with a smirk on his face. He may look stoic, but his eyes were pleading me 'Just go with it, please'.

"Since when was Max your girlfriend?" Maya and Star shrieked. Ow, my ears; I covered my ears with my hands and saw Iggy snickering at me, "Maxie finally get some?" I punched his shoulder, and he yelped.

"Ow, that hurts, Max." Iggy rubbed where I aimed the punch.

I rolled my eyes and shot back, "Deal with it, you big baby."

"Um, hello? We were talking?" Star interrupted.

I turned back to her and said, "Oh yeah. About me and Fang, right?"

She nodded. "So how did you two get together, huh? Was it romantic? Did Fang make the first move or did you, Max? Have you guys gone on a first date yet? Is Iggy single or does he have a girlfriend, too?" Star bombed us with questions while Maya and Iggy watched, amused.

"Woah. Slow down, Star. One at a time," I held up my hands in the 'I-surrender' kind of fashion.

She took a deep breath and took a swig of water. Maya glanced at me and asked, "So, Fang, how long have you loved Max?" Please, can this get any more cliché?

"Since we were nine," Fang answered. Since we were nine? We met when we were nine through Iggy. Fang was, and still is, Iggy's best friend back then. So he's loved me for _five years_? He can't be making this up, can he? It's just too realistic.

Iggy whistled, "Woo, that's a _long_ time. You, sir, are deep. Deep and one love-sick puppy."

Star and Maya turned their attention to me. "What about you, Max?"

I, being ever so smart, was zoned out ever since Fang said that and blinked. "Huh?"

"You silly. How long have _you_ loved Fang?" Maya rolled her eyes while Star took a piece of her hair and twisted it in between her fingers.

Shit.

I should've seen this coming.

Ah, screw it.

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**Oh no, what's Max gonna say? lol, I'm not telling ya! You gotta R&R to find out.**

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	4. Orchid Trees

**Sorry, it took me forever to update! I just noticed that I haven't updated in 3 months... Thanks for the 9 reviews, guys! You're the best! **

**Disclaimer: Nope, nada. I don't own.**

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Max POV

"Oh, well, uh..." I've been stuttering like this for a minutes now, trying to string together some kind of lie that'll get me outta this mess. Maya, Star, and even _Iggy_ were staring at me intently. Then, for just a second, Maya and Star stopped staring at me and turned to Iggy with confusion etched on their faces.

"What?" Iggy shrugged. "I haven't heard about this either. Not yet, at least." And slowly, they both turned their attention back to me, still fumbling with my words.

"Knock it off, guys. You're obviously making her nervous. She'll probably answer if she less uncomfortable. So tone down the stares, will ya?" Fang finally spoke up, coming to my rescue. Of course, he was partly right about the nervous part. Which lie should I pick? Should I just wing it and go with the flow?

"Oh, okay. Sorry, Maxie," Iggy grinned sheepishly. I mumbled a " 'S fine." And continued to worry myself about what and how to answer the question. Then, the idea hit me like lightning. Not so literally, though.

"Since last year, I realized that I like Fang a bit more than usual, which is weird since I used to like Iggy and Fang at about the same level. I can't explain it, but I was sure that my feelings to Fang changed," I replied. Fang relaxed at my answer, Star and Maya looked unsatisfied, but Iggy looked... Jealous? What's gotten into him?

"Oh, that's cool," Iggy mumbled with a slightly rigid posture that was way tenser than the one a few minutes ago. I was about to ask him what was up when I was rudely and irritably interrupted.

"Star. Maya. What are you doing _here_?" A nasal voice said. I didn't even have to turn around to identify who said that.

"Maybe they like sitting with real people, _Lissie_," I replied, mocking her voice. "I mean, someone's _bound_ to get tired of you clinging to them." I turned to watch her expressions.

First she was sneering. Then confusion flashed her face. Now anger. Her cheeks were flushed so red it almost matched her scarlet hair.

"Like you're real? Puh-_lease._ Everything about _you_ is fake," she retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Name _one thing_ about me that's fake that _isn't_ the color of my hair."

She sputtered as she tried to form an answer. I scoffed. "Exactly my point."

I turned away from her and went back to facing Star and Maya, purposely ignoring Lissa.

"Fangie," Lissa purred. I saw Fang shudder a little and silently chuckled. "You don't like that _Max_, do you? I mean, you're only here to make me jealous."

"No," he strained. "I come here because I like Max and because she's my girlfriend."

Lissa pulled back. "_What_?! I thought you _loved_ _me_!"

"Nope," I said.

"Stay out of this, Max. It's none of your business," she snapped.

"Actually, it _is_ my business because that's my _boyfriend_ you're talking to."

She sank to her knees and sobbed, ruining her caked-on makeup. "Were you just leading me on, Fangie?!"

I sighed and got up. "Iggy, Fang, let's go. The Drama Queen's acting up again." The boys obediently got up and followed me out of the cafeteria. I could still hear her crying.

"Oh, man, did you see her face? Ha! Fang'll love her when I grow genetically enhanced wings on my back!" Iggy burst out laughing.

I snickered. "I guess she just can't see the reality even when it slaps her in the face. It looked as if it finally dawned on her when Fang said it bluntly." We were walking to my secret hideaway, an orchid grove (Is that what they're called?). I sat under one of my favorite trees, basking in it's shade. Iggy climbed up the tree, and Fang plopped down beside me.

"This is the life, isn't it? I love this part of the school," I sighed contently. Fang nodded and I heard a faint "Yup!" from up in the trees.

"Yo, Ig! What do ya see up there?" I yelled.

"Nothing, really. Just a lot of land, a squirrel, some teachers, and a few cars! Hey, squirrel!" He called down. Oh, just some normal stuff-

"Wait, did you say _teachers_? Crap, get in the trees! Hurry!" I scrambled to get to my feet and climbed up the tree beside Iggy's. Fang went up the one near mine. "Be really quiet," I whispered. I know that they both heard me, even though my whisper was close to silent. We stayed rigid, stiff, and still to not blow our cover.

"Well, looks like they're not here," one teacher sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, that's a shame. We really need to tell Maximum to fix her rambunctious behavior and that hair of hers," another said. My hand unconsciously went to my hair, silently asking what was wrong with it. Iggy mouthed a 'nothing' and Fang just shook his head.

"And those two boys are hanging onto her every word, as if she's the Queen or something. They'd be much better off without her," said the third and last teacher. I watched silently as they went back to the school building and dropped myself to the ground, landing on my feet. Iggy and Fang followed suit.

"What's wrong with those teachers, Max? There's absolutely nothing wrong with hanging out with you. They don't know what they're talking about," Iggy looked downright furious.

I shrugged. "Maybe they're right-"

"No they're not!"

I glared. "Don't interrupt me, Iggy."

"Sorry."

"As I was saying, maybe they're right. I'm not the best of influences. I'm not good at school, and I'm definitely not good at listening and following rules written by adults-"

"But we like you anyway."

"Iggy-"

"No, Max. Don't even consider what they said. They're just annoyed by you setting Lissa off on a rampage cause Fang doesn't love her. It doesn't matter to me because I like _you_, not them."

"Same here," Fang finally spoke up.

"Thanks you guys. Um, can you leave me alone for 10 minutes?"

"Max-"

"Just ten. Please? I just need to clear up my mind again."

"Fine. Ten minutes only. If you're not back in class by then, I'm coming to look for you."

"Me too."

"Okay, okay. Now _go_." I pushed them both and they went back toward the school.

I slumped against the tree trunk and slid down. I wrapped my arms around my knees, brought them closer, and lowered my head. A few silent tears slid down my cheeks. Those teachers' words hit straight home, and hard. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, but that just made it worse. I started to cry even fiercer and took in sharp, shuddering breaths of air.

It was hard not to care.

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**That was the chapter, you guys!**

**BlackAngelWings1010- Thank you! I loved your review. Can I have my cookie? :)**

**Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobi a- Wow, your username's confusing. You can use it, I don't mind. I appreciate that you reviewed all three chapters in a row!**

**Midnight-Rose4563- I was gonna make the next chapter either Fang or Iggy's POV.**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R! :)**


	5. Search

**Author's Note: **Hey hey hey! Sorry for the late update, my dear readers! I've just been so completely busy, ya know? I had 9 reviews this time, love y'all!

**DISCLAIMER: **I no own Maxie. Sowwy.

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**Me or Them**

**Chapter 5: Search**

**Fang POV**

Max still hasn't come back yet. And ten minutes passed a long time ago. Iggy and I had panicked and split up to search for her. We didn't stray to far from each other, just far enough to yell.

"Iggy, any sign of her?"

"Nope! You?"

"None. Where the _hell is she_?" I ran my fingers through my hair- a sign of my frustration.

"How 'bout we go back to the orchards? She might still be there, since she has no sense of direction nor time," Iggy suggested, coming back to my side.

"Sure, why not?" Both of us went toward the grove again to where we were earlier.

Under one of the trees was a laying figure. As we got closer, I could see the outline of their body and realized that this person was _Max_.

She looked gorgeous, with her wind-blown hair perfectly framing her face. One of her arms were carelessly thrown over her stomach, and the other was by her side. It was a good thing that she was wearing jeans because it was really windy out here. _If_ she was wearing a skirt, which is _impossible_- but _if_ she was, the skirt would've completely showcased her creamy legs and-

Snap out of it, Fang! You sound like a pervert.

"Hey, Fang. Are you gonna continue drooling over Max? If you are, I'll leave you in peace so you can do it comfortably." I could almost _hear_ the smug smile in Iggy's tone.

"N-no," I mentally smacked myself for stuttering. "We should wake her up."

"You wanna deal with a cranky, crabby, sleepy Max? I didn't know you were such a masochist, Fang," Iggy snickered. "I'll leave that up to you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then what're you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna grab her lunch from the food I packed. We can't have a cranky, crabby, sleepy, _and_ hungry Max on our hands. That's suicide." Iggy headed back to the school building.

I sighed and weighed some options. I could wake her up and get hit. I could leave her and get hit. I could _not_ wake her up and just wait for her to get up on her own and get hit. I would get hit any way I tried. Sometimes, Max's violent nature got on my nerves. Maybe, if my luck was okay, she wouldn't hit me as hard as I think she would.

I plopped down on the ground beside her and gently shook her shoulder. She was a light sleeper, so waking her up isn't hard sometimes. _Sometimes_. Other times, she sleeps like a rock.

This was one of those times.

Last time she slept like this, Iggy dumped ice on her chest. And he got smacked really hard by Max. I wondered to myself how to wake her up without getting hit. I heard a sniffle and a groan coming up from the ground and glanced down. Max was waking up. I stayed really quiet, hoping that she might not notice.

Max rubbed her sleepy eyes and froze. She might have heard my feet shuffle together. She looked up and jumped a little in the air. I started to chuckle because of her reaction, and she glared at me. Although it didn't last that long, her deluxe Max glare made me shiver a bit.

"Max! I gots you a sammich!" Iggy yelled from the distance. It took him a few more seconds until he reached us and he tossed Max's delicious-looking sandwich, or should I call it foot-long sub?, and handed her a bottle of Dr. Pepper. She caught her sub mid-air and laid the bottle beside her. After a few minutes, her sub was gone. Soon after that, her drink was too.

"What, no dessert?" Max asked Iggy.

He chuckled and pulled out a small baggie out of who-knows-where. "I'd never forget, especially not after _that incident_."

She flashed a small grin before opening up the baggie. "Good. You needed to learn that lesson." She gasped. "_Chocolate chip cookies_? Man, Ig, you're awesome. Love you." That last sentence made me feel jealous. She almost never said that to me, even in a joking manner, but she says it almost everyday to Iggy whenever he packs cookies.

"I knew that even the great Maximum Ride couldn't resist my Iggy-ish charms." Iggy had a goofy, smug grin on his face as he joked.

"Shuddup," Max breathed out after swallowing all those cookies. Iggy kept on chuckling but had stopped talking.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

"Alrighty," Max said. "We gotta get back to class."

"But Maxie! _Why_?" Iggy whined.

"Because, mister, _you_ are stupid and need to learn something that's got nothing to do with the word _pyro_."

"Fine," he pouted. Both of us turned around when we heard a small _Ahem._

We turned back around to face Max and saw her with her arms up. She wiggled her fingers and her eyebrows with a grin. I sighed while Iggy grumbled and we lifted her off the ground.

"Lazy ass," Iggy grumbled. Max smacked the back of his head. I chuckled. She smacked the back of mine, too.

"Ouch, Maxie, that hurt," I smirked and rubbed the back of my head with my hand.

"Good. Now both my boys are disciplined."

Iggy snickered. "You sound like my grandma." She smacked him again. His snickering stopped. My snickering started. Max whipped her around and glared at me. I stopped before she could hit me too.

"Hey!" Iggy whined again. "You didn't hit him!"

"That's because he knows when exactly to stop. You, however, just keep on _giggling_ to no end," Max replied.

"I was not _giggling_! I was _snickering_! There's a difference, Max, dahling," Iggy huffed indignantly.

"Whatever. Let's go." Max dragged both of us back into the building. The first bell rang. Another one, and we'd be tardy. We made it to the doorway our next class, and Max and Iggy's favorite- music, just as soon as the bell rang. Our teacher was standing outside the door with her arms crossed over her chest to look as if she was mad at us for being late. But then again, that was almost impossible. She was the nicest and best teacher in the entire system.

"Ah, Miss Ride, Mr. Caverly, Mr. Divine, please take your seats. Class has just started, and you three just barely made it," our teacher, Mrs. Ailee, smiled.

"I'd appreciate it if you called us Max, Fang, and Iggy unlike all the other teachers, Mrs. Ailee. 'Coz you know you're way cooler than them," Max winked and laughed. Only she could get away with that because she's practically Mrs. Ailee's star student, not to mention most likely the favorite.

"Alright. I'll do that from now on. Just go sit down, Max," Mrs. Ailee said. "And don't forget to the drag the boys with you."

"Yes'm," Max jokingly replied. She'd never _actually_ be polite unless she was either sarcastic or joking. Max did pull us toward our seats near the back, and Mrs. Ailee closed the door behind her.

"Okay, class," she clapped her hands together. "There's a competition coming up next month. Now, here are the forms you need to fill out with the categories." She passed back some papers. I glanced at them. Music competition? Interesting. I looked at Max and Iggy from the corner of my left eye. Max was sitting in the middle of both Iggy and I, with a smile on her face and an excited twinkle in her eye. Iggy was on the left side of Max, and he was grinning like a maniac.

Max and Iggy were hyped for this contest. Perfect. That practically makes them unbeatable with their skills in music. Mrs. Divine made both of them take classes when they were younger. Me? I could only play the guitar. Max and Iggy can both play guitar and they can sing. Max can play piano, violin, and flute while Iggy could play drums and a trumpet.

This will definitely add some excitement to school.

* * *

**Author's Note: **How was it? Sorry, it's kind of a filler chapter. The next one will be about the competition.

**PigfartsNut- **LOL, love your username! At first I was like, less-than-three? And then complete lightbulb moment, I face-palmed myself for being so slow.  
**theNONFICTIONLOVESONG- **Yep, lots of my teachers are stupid. They're really _trying_ to get me to scream at them sometimes.  
**Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobi a- **Yay! Waffles are yummy too!  
**Mister Moronic- **Yep. And thanks, I was really going for that. See, they're a little mean to her just 'coz they're really competitive. I really don't hate Lissa or Brigid or Maya or any of the others. They only got a few lines in the book. Maya, I might dislike a little bit.  
**Shadows Under the Moon- **First off, cool username! Second, OH NO! I'VE BEEN FOUND OUT, haha. Now, there won't be any gothic bunnies with chainsaws on the loose.  
**Lootmagoot- **Yeess, I be backs now!

**P.S. **I'm working on the next chapter for Devious Deceit, so expect that to be up sometime in early December! And I might even give you guys a tiny sneak peek at my next 'drama' story, but this time it's a Percy Jackson one!

**P.P.S. **For those of you wondering why the teacher's name is Mrs. Ailee, yes, I did name her after that Korean soloist. I love Ailee, and the teacher is supposed to look, act, and sing exactly like her.

Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!


	6. Challenge

**Author's Note: **Hello again, my dear readers! How was your holiday? Mine was pretty okay, really normal actually. One of my best friends is moving to Korea :( I'll miss her. This chapter's dedicated to you, **HK**! (That's her initials)

**Disclaimer: **Maximum Ride only belongs to James Patterson. Anyone else who says they own her might be brutally maimed. You have been warned.

**P. S. **I got this idea from _**Little Miss Giggle**_, who's my favorite author on this site. Her story **_My Happy Ending_** is insanely awesome. It's definitely my favorite fanfiction, like, ever. It's at the top of my list. I loved it, and I think you will too. Check it out- if you wanna :)

**Happy (Belated) New Year :D**

* * *

**Me or Them**

**Chapter 6: Challenge****  
**

**Third Person POV **

Students were murmuring about the latest news: the competition. Everyone that was anyone was super excited for this specific concert, especially Max, Iggy, and the CCC. Max and Iggy just loved to perform ever since they were both three. The CCC wanted to prove that they were better at something than Max for once. Fang just went with the flow and paired up with his best friends. In class, though, the students were exhilarated with the news.

Lissa raised her hand. "Mrs. Ailee, how many rounds will this contest have?"

Mrs. Ailee answered, "Good question, Lissa. Since the whole school is participating-"

"Really?" The class gaped.

"-Yes, really. It really depends how many bad people there are. It might take some time for the true artists to shine. Now, there are themes for each round. You will have to perform something that shows the theme. Got it?"

Max and Iggy shared a grin. Iggy leaned over to Fang and Max and whispered, "Interesting. _And_ fun."

"The first few rounds will be solos, though. It helps to see which ones have potential and which ones are just clinging to the stars. Then you can form groups if you want to," said Mrs. Ailee.

Fang spoke up. "Do we have to participate?"

The teacher looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, no. But students have to be involved somehow. If they just don't like performing, they can help write songs or coordinate fashion styles or something of the sort."

"Then, I'm not performing," Fang told Iggy and Max. "I'll help or whatever."

"Wait!" Brigid screeched. "We have to _write_ songs?"

"Yes, I believe that's what I said," Mrs. Ailee nodded. "It is, isn't it? Well, now you know." The two siblings shared identical glances at each other, both wearing the same scary grin.

"Alright, alright. Get to work, write your songs, socialize, make plans, whatever. Have fun," Mrs. Ailee said. "I'll be at my desk if you need me." The class started to chatter among themselves.

"I know that Ig and I'll be performing. What'll you be helping with, Fang?" Max asked.

Said boy shrugged. "Dunno. I thought I'd help with the set up or be, like, a back-up guitar player or something."

Iggy cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "Mrs. A, what's the theme of Round 1?" Max, Fang, and the rest of the class looked up at the sound of Iggy's loud voice.

"Oh, that's right," she clapped her hands together. "I nearly forgot. Thank you, Iggy. The theme is pain. Be creative, good luck." The three turned their attention back to each other.

"Pain?" Iggy muttered. "But I'm such a happy person. That's, like, asking for the impossible. Damn. Now what do I do?" He slouched in his seat, set his head on his right arm, bent the right arm, and laid his hand on the top of his head.

Max smirked. "Get your butt out of your happy-go-lucky fantasy world, and go experience something _real_. _Get a life_. How about that?" Iggy's glare could be seen through his bangs.

He groaned, "Max, you know that I'm no good at writing lyrics when they're not in my category. You, however, are good at writing in _all_ categories. Can't I just borrow one of your already written ones? Please?"

"Uh no. I already performed those songs. And you _know_ that. You were there for all the concerts. And before you ask, _no_, I won't _write_ you a song either," Max replied with an amused roll of her eyes.

"Damn."

Fang chuckled, feeling a little bad for his best friend. "I'll help, if you want."

Iggy's head shot up at that statement. His face was glowing. "Really? Thanks, man. I'll really need the help. I mean, you'd be good at pain, right? With your emo gothiness and all."

"Shut up." Fang flicked Iggy behind the ear.

Max smiled. "Just get to work, guys. We won't be in class for long, you know." She scooted away from the two boys. They looked at her questioningly, both with an eyebrow raised.

"Ha, you're not getting a single _glance_ at my songbook. No peeping," she laughed.

"Fine," Iggy grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a little kid. Fang glanced over at him and smacked the back of his head.

"Focus," he muttered.

Max laughed some more. "Stop distracting me. I had something good for a second there. Now I forgot... Ah, it's coming back to me."

Fang snorted. "Is it gonna be something_ totally emo-like_?" His voice mocked Iggy's with perfection.

"Or is it gonna be something, like,_ totally girly_ and _lovey dovey_?" Iggy flipped his hair back with his hand.

"Um, no, but I liked Fang's suggestion a _lot_ more. Yours, Ig, not so much," Max said.

Iggy scoffed in false disbelief. "What_ever._" He rolled his eyes to add dramatic effect.

Max pressed her lips together in an attempt to not laugh; it didn't work out well. Fang, on the other hand, smirked.

"Hey, Max!" Star called. She was standing at the front of the room._ Showy much?_ Max rolled her eyes a little before turning.

"What?"

"How 'bout a deal?"

This definitely caught Max's attention. "What're the bets on?"

Star smirked. "The boys, of course."

Iggy was already shaking his head in dread. Fang was watching the conversation with interest, as if it was a tennis match.

"What're the stakes? All or nothing?"

"You know it. Deal is you win, we leave 'em alone. You lose, they're ours. Good?"

"Deal."

"Max!" Iggy interfered. "Don't we get a say in this? You're betting on _us_ after all."

Max ignored her foster brother and continued to stare at Star, waiting for her answer.

"You're on, Maximum. May the best woman win." Star added, "Oh, and when we do, don't be a sore loser. 'Kay? Mmkay." Star sat back down at the CCC's table after a wink.

Max had her deluxe glare set upon the group of girls, and her eyes flashed dangerously. Fang glanced down at the edge of the table, where Max's fists were tightly clenched and her knuckles gradually turning lighter and paler in color.

"You think _I'll_ be the sore loser? You're going to wish you never even said that," Max growled quietly. "We'll see who the sore loser is when I beat you into dust."

"Okay, okay, calm down Maxie. Let's not blow up yet, okay? Ha ha," Iggy laughed nervously.

Fang nodded. "Yeah, Max. Chill. You'll give Iggy a heart attack."

"They want something to see? I'll give 'em something to _gawk_ at," Max grumbled. "If they think that they'll win..." She trailed off quietly and muttered to herself.

Iggy shared a look with Fang, who just shrugged as always. _You're a big help_, Iggy mouthed to him. Fang merely smirked. As always.

Both boys looked back at Max, who was scribbling furiously into her notebook and flipping pages to look back at her previous notes and quotations. They sighed and stared out the classroom window.

* * *

**Author's Note: **How was this chapter? I know, I know, it was a filler. You see, in this chapter, it show's Max's and Star's competitiveness. I think Max was a little OOC in this chapter, but I wanted Star to be a little more pushy in this.

**P.S. **Sorry for the short chapter! I typed this up real quick 'coz I remembered I hadn't updated in about a month. I was studying for my insanely difficult science test that's upcoming this week.

Like it? Hate it? R&R!


	7. Operation Sneak A Peek

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the lateness, guys. Enjoy the chapter!

**DISCLAIMER: **Maximum Ride is not in my possession. Mr. James Patterson currently has control over it.

* * *

**Me or Them**

**Chapter 7: Operation Sneak A Peek**

* * *

**IGGY **

_Time: 0900 hours, Saturday morning_

_First Attempt_

Hey, people reading my time log.

I'm Iggy, for those of you who had no idea. My bud Fang and I are about to sneak into our _other_ friend's house, Max. She's a girl, believe it or not. We have this music competition thing at our school, and I don't have any ideas for a song. _Yet._ That's why we're gonna snoop around her room.

_Yeah_, she's my foster sister. I know that she's a heavy sleeper, and I know that we have a chance until she wakes up around 1200 hours.

. . . Why am I using military time? Whatever.

Fang came over to my house, and we've been whispering plots ever since. My mom was out at work, so that should leave us in peace and quiet until Max leaves for her music lessons. She's a prodigy, I tell you. Well, I'd say we're around the same level but she can write songs about her deep feelings. I can't. I've tried, trust me. It didn't turn out well.

"So we ready for Operation SNEAK A PEEK?" I asked Fang. We were in my room, and I was near the door.

"Yeah," he said. "Why am I doing this again?"

I rolled my eyes. "You said you'd help me in anything. This falls into the category."

"Couldn't you do it yourself?"

"Yes, but frankly, I can't be quiet for longer than three minutes. I'm not all ghosty-tall-dark-silent-man like you are. And if Max wakes up, you're practically invisible! I don't stand a chance with my bright clothes and loud breathing. C'mon, Max has hyper-sensitive hearing or whatever it's called. My breathing would be heard in her radar."

He sighed. "Fine."

"Alright. Let's go!" I grinned and nearly tripped over my own two feet. I slid instead and flashed a grin and a thumbs up back to Fang. He rolled his eyes and followed me gracefully.

"Okay, you go first," I whispered. He shot me a look that said _Why? _and looked again toward Max's door.

"Remember? You're the Fangalator. The silent but deadly. The Mr. Tall-Dark-Ghosty man. The - " Fang slapped his hand over my mouth and glared at me.

"I'll shut up if you go first," I negotiated. No way am I going into Max's room first. I'm too sexy to die.

Fang just rolled his eyes and sneaked towards her door first. I motioned for him to open it, and he slowly turned the knob. He had opened the door by an inch when it squeaked loudly. We both froze. I quickly went to the door and peeked inside, only to see Max wriggle in her sleep. I ran, footsteps light, back to my room. I didn't even look back to see if Fang had followed me or not. He had.

"Well," I chirped, "that didn't work."

He glared at me.

* * *

_Time: 0945 hours, Saturday morning_

_Second Attempt _

I sighed. This whole steal-Max's-song-book thing wasn't working out so well. It went perfectly in my head!

"Wanna give up?" Fang asked.

I sent him a look. "After all my planning and hard work? No."

"What hard work? You thought this up an hour ago," Fang shot back. "It's Saturday, and I _should_ be in bed asleep."

I snorted. "Boo hoo. Get over it."

"How about we do it the nice way?" Fang suggested and, before I could stop and warn him, he rapped lightly on Max's door and opened it. He stuck his head in.

_You're a goner, bro,_ I sulked. _Nice knowing you. _

"Max," Fang said. "Can I borrow something for awhile?"

Max groaned and turned over in bed, only to glare straight at the cracked open door and give Fang the evil eye. "No," she grumbled. "Go away before I whoop your skinny white butt into the next leap year."

"Please?" he asked. Max abruptly sat up and chucked a pillow at his head.

He ducked, chuckling, "Okay, okay. I got the message." The pillow missed his head by an inch. She's got killer aim, but Fang's got quick reflexes.

Fang shut the door and looked at me. "That didn't work."

I rolled my eyes.

* * *

_Time: 1025 hours, still Saturday morning_

_Third Attempt _

"What now?" I asked Fang. He responded with a shrug. We sat there, pondering new plots when I heard a loud thump. I glanced out the door and figured that Max had fallen out of bed.

"I'm up!" Max yelled. Wait - what? She can't be awake yet! I should still have an hour and thirty-five minutes left!

"Why're you up so early?" I questioned her calmly.

She poked her head through my door. "Nudge and Ella wanted to see me. Didn't I tell you? We're gonna watch a movie before I head out for my lessons. See you in a few hours."

"Alright. Bye," I said.

I heard the front door open and close.

Fang looked at me. "Well, that was easier than I thought. Let's go look for her book." I nodded, and we both went to her bedroom door.

I took in a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Sure."

Fang turned the door knob and the door flew open.

Her room was messy. As usual. Her blankets were all over the bed and draped over the end to fall onto the floor. The desk had some of its drawers opened and papers everywhere.

"Where would it be?" Fang asked.

"I dunno. If I was a song book, where would I be?" I asked myself. "Maybe in a drawer or under a pillow."

I lifted her pillow only to see a picture of her mom and dad. It was an old picture, probably around the time she was two. I smiled and gently placed the pillow back down.

"Clear. You?"

"Nope," Fang said. "Got any other ideas?"

"Hmm," I hummed. I got in front of her bookshelf and skimmed them. One of the books caught my attention and I traced its binding. I pulled it out.

"Jackpot, Fang," I announced. "I got it."

"Really?" He came forward and leaned over my shoulder to get a good look.

"Yep. Let's go to my room."

* * *

_Time: 1100 hours, Saturday morning_

_Mission: Successful_

"What does Max even write songs about?" Fang asked.

I snorted. "Everything."

I ran my finger down the edges, where Max had tabbed songs by genre. I flipped to a page under the marking _Breakup_.

_No sir, well I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore.  
It's your turn, so take a seat we're settling the final score.  
And why do we like to hurt so much?__  
_

Max always had a talent with words. I thought it was pretty cool. She could uniquely describe a situation like Taylor Swift, sometimes even better than Taylor.

_Close your eyes and make believe this is where you want to be_  
_Forgetting all the memories, try to forget love cause love's forgotten me_  
_Well hey, hey baby, it's never too late pretty soon you won't remember a thing_  
_And I'll be distant, the stars reminiscing_  
_Your heart's been wasted on me. _

"Why does she have more breakup songs than any other genre?" Fang asked. "She's got more of these than she has love songs."

"It's not my story to tell," I said, "but Max's had some pretty bad relationships, and you know that. She lets all her anger and sadness out in music. Maybe that's why."

"Oh," he sighed. "Do you have any idea what to write about now?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do this."

I shut her book and put it back on the shelf I found it on.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I haven't updated this one in forever! I'm so sorry. I thought about putting it on HIATUS, but that would be mean. I had a small idea of where this chapter would be heading, but writer's block prevented me from typing it up.

Whoever guesses what songs the two sets of lyrics came from gets a chapter dedication! Don't forget to say who sings it.

Like it? Hate it? R&R!


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